The victim was fatally shot in the head while walking home from work in Gramercy Park, early Thursday.
The New York Post, reported that ‘a male opened fire, striking the 25-year-old victim at the corner of East 14th Street and Irving Place, just a block from Union Square, around 5 a.m., authorities said.’
She had just finished her shift at a nearby IHOP when she was shot, sources told The Post.
The woman, whose name has not been released pending family notification, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The suspect, who fled after the deadly shooting, is described as a heavyset black man who wore all black clothing and a mask.
The motive for the slaying remained unknown later Thursday morning.
A 56-year-old man who gave his first name, Manny, said he was working at his nearby coffee cart when the shooting happened.
“I was here cooking when I heard a loud boom,” Manny said. “I said, ‘Oh s–t, what was that?’ I thought it was a car or truck [that] crashed. I ran outside and I saw the lady on the sidewalk.”
Before the shooting, “I didn’t hear any commotion, nothing,” he said.
When he saw the body, Manny thought, “Oh my God. I wondered if she had kids, what about her family,” he said.
There were other people around “who called 911” so he didn’t, he said.
“It’s a shame,” Manny said. “You have these people killing one another. They kill somebody and the system lets them back out. They are right back on the streets and they do the same s–t again. It’s crazy.”
“The president, the politicians, they are not doing anything about it. All they think about is getting voted back in,” he said. “You got some sick, screwed-up people out here.”
